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Beltre activated, Kouzmanoff lands on disabled list

4/8/14: Adrian Beltre cracks a ground ball into left field, scoring Prince Fielder to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead

By T.R. Sullivan
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MLB.com |

SEATTLE -- The Rangers placed third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff on the disabled list with a herniated disc in his lower back and activated Adrian Beltre off the disabled list to take his place on Friday.

Kouzmanoff has a history of back trouble stemming from falling into a dugout chasing a foul ball in the 2004 Arizona Fall League. He flew back to Texas earlier this week to see Dr. Drew Dossett and received an epidural injection. The plan is to see how he responds to the injection over the weekend before deciding if surgery is needed.

Kouzmanoff was hitting .362 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 13 games since replacing Beltre, who has been sidelined with a strained left quad muscle.

The Rangers have not made a move with outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who is sidelined with a sprained left ankle, but he is not in the starting lineup on Friday against the Mariners. Michael Choice was in left field and batting leadoff for the third consecutive game.

The Rangers also lost pitcher Hector Noesi to the White Sox on a waiver claim. He was designated for assignment earlier this week.